A look of surprise quickly crossed over Billy's features before he could reply.

"Ha, that's what I thought," Kim exclaimed.

Trini shot Billy a stern look over Kim's head before responding. "I have to help Billy check something out in the main room while you do this."

"Right," Kim muttered sarcastically.

"It'll take about a minute, and then you can go home," Billy stated as he opened the door to the roof.

"Fine," Kim relented, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey, did you guys give good ol' Rita a nice sendoff?"

"The best we could manage," Billy answered with a smile.

"Ha," Kim squealed. "I hope you managed to put some torque on that dumpster so she gets airsick."

"Get going," Trini said as she held her hand up to the recognition system, which opened the door, and then gave her friend a shove through it.

"I'm going, I'm going," Kim replied as she made her way up the stairs.

Silently, Billy raced back to the main room of the Command Center with Trini right behind him to disengage teleportation ability and disable access to the roof door.

"Aww man, are you two really going through with this," Zack asked as he bounded up the steps to lean against one of the consoles.

"Indeed, we are," Billy replied with a smile as he pushed one of the last buttons.

"Kim is going to tear him a new one," Jason stated, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"For a bit, but Tommy has a good game plan," Trini said with a smile.

"He better," Zack said sarcastically. "I wouldn't want to face off against her on the roof."

"Here's to our new white ranger and the gang being back together," Billy said, handing out glasses of soda to his teammates.

"May those new powers help him withstand the greatest monster a man can ever face… a woman's scorn," Jason said with a laugh before getting smacked by Trini. And yet Trini couldn't help but burst out laughing herself as Zordon and Alpha joined in.

Kim hopped up the last few steps to the roof, eager to get the task Billy had asked her to do over with so she could return home. As she took the last couple of steps up, she was overwhelmed by the incredible orange and pink colors the sky was flooded with as the sun set behind the mountains. Walking over to the edge, a smile graced Kim's features, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she basked in the glow of the receding sunset.

"I agree, it's beautiful, but by far not anywhere compared to you," a soothing, soulful voice called out gently to her from behind.

Kim took a deep breath before turning around slowly to face the one person she knew she could not live with or without at the moment. She couldn't help the gasp from escaping her mouth as she took in the man that was Tommy Oliver. He was wearing a white pair of baggy pants and a loose-fitting white tank. His hair, which had been pulled back in a tight ponytail when he went off with the guys to send Rita into space, now hung loosely around his shoulders. His tan skin was literally glowing in the light from the sunset, and Kim suddenly felt her knees grow weak once more. His chiseled features were so exquisite; she still couldn't believe that a young man who looked like he should be featured on the cover of People's "Most Beautiful People in the World" magazine strolled the halls of her high school.

And despite his tan, chiseled features, and extraordinarily well-built body, it was his eyes that she was struggling to not gaze at. The chocolate brown depths of them could never hide anything. They were Kim's kryptonite; she had never felt so at peace or at one with the world or loved than when she looked into those eyes. They could make her happy, sad, and furious. The magnitude to which they could affect her quite literally scared her to death.

"I knew they were up to something," Kim said softly as she cast a quick glance over at the solar panels that were pointed in the direction of the setting sun. Over on the other edge of the roof, she could see that Tommy had laid out a blanket, and a picnic basket was resting on top.

Kicking at a rock on the rooftop out of frustration, Kim dejectedly asked questions she already knew the answers to. "I assume the door is locked."

"Yep," Tommy replied softly, not daring to make a step towards her for fear of setting her off.

Kim once again lifted a hand up to her communicator and half-heartedly pushed the button. Knowingly, nothing happened. "Motherfuckers," Kim muttered.

Tommy bit his lower lip quickly to hide the smile that was threatening to overtake his face. Nothing was cuter than Kim swearing, and couple that with her pink t-shirt and white short overalls…well, he was a goner. He had been the day he first saw her in the hallways of Angel Grove High. Her smile had literally blinded him, and her eyes, twinkling with life and excitement, had drawn him in at once. Looking into the depths of her doe eyes, Tommy had been overwhelmed by the feelings that coursed through his body, and yet, they had also felt like something he had known his whole life. She had immediately made him feel at ease, and he had known with her first words he would never meet anyone quite like her for the rest of his life.

Taking a tentative step towards her, he began, "I asked Billy to do this for me. There's a lot I need to explain to you."

"Oh no, there's nothing you need to explain to me," Kim said quickly, turning away from him as she felt the anger she had stemmed to keep in check the past few weeks start to course through her veins.

"Kim," Tommy pleaded softly as he took a few more steps toward her, "Please, don't do this to me."

Fury swept over her immediately, and she could feel heat surge off her arms. Throwing her arms above her head, she spun around again to face him. "What Tommy? Treat you like anything less than a best friend. Disregard your presence and barely acknowledge that you exist. Oh no, I wouldn't dare do that."

"Kim…"

Balling her fists, she continued, "I wouldn't dare shut out the one person I knew has always stood by my side, no matter what. The person I knew I could confide in and trust because that person would never hold anything against me. The person who believed in me and did whatever she could to brighten my spirits. I wouldn't run away from that person like I had done before, knowing how she know felt about me."

Tommy grimaced, her words slicing through him more painfully than Goldar's sword ever had. But he knew he had to bare this. What he had done to her again after losing the Green Ranger powers for good was unthinkable, running away from her a second time. He was petrified of losing her from this last meltdown, and he knew he deserved every word she was saying.

Somehow, he had made his way over to stand before her as she unleashed the pain and hurt he had caused her, and she found herself shaking in his presence. Barely able to raise her eyes to meet his, she was ashamed of the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Tears she had said she would never shed over this man after her last crying bout at Trini's. Struggling to clear her throat, she somehow managed to whisper, "How could you?"

And now it was Tommy's turn to try and stifle the whimper that tried to break past his lips. Looking into Kim's big brown doe eyes, he finally realized the depth to which he had affected her. The growing trust, the tumultuous feelings that were running rampant, the protection and security each felt in the other's presence had all but been destroyed by this latest escape to his uncle's cabin. Everything that had been building between them since that first kiss they had shared in front of the lake was now laying around them shattered. A guttoral moan somehow escaped from deep inside him as he finally acknowledged what he had done. Seeing the love of his life in such pain broke down the final barrier between he and Kim, and his eyes watered as he whispered, "I don't know."

Kim could barely believe her eyes as she saw a single tear make its way down one of Tommy's cheeks. Tommy was typically a closed book. Rare to show any type of emotion, it had taken everything in her to get him to open up at first. So shy, sometimes it had seemed as if he was thinking out each and every word with her before it was spoken. It had been painstaking at times, and yet, he had learned to confide and trust in her. And she was able to witness more emotions than the ones he typically displayed: happiness, anger, and concern. Yet despite what she had seen, she had never been privy to this. Even having just lost his powers, the last night they had spent together had seen Tommy nothing but stoic.

This was real, and raw…and Kim had no words for him. Silently, she drew him into her arms, comforting him in the best way she knew how: with her presence. She stroked his back with her hand, making tiny circles up and down it, waiting until he was ready to speak. After a few minutes had passed, she whispered, "It's OK."

Tommy had been struggling to get a grip on his emotions, but when Kim uttered those words he suddenly lost it. Stepping back from her with tear-stricken eyes, he grabbed her forearms. "No, it's not OK. Everything you said was true. I pushed away the one person in the world I knew that I could trust more than anyone. I was so scared that everyone…that you would leave me because I had the let the team down that I escaped first. I was humiliated that the bad guys had defeated me once again. And I couldn't deal with the fact that I wasn't going to be able to fight by your side again."

Kim's heart broke hearing those words pour forth. She knew Tommy was insecure and struggled to fit in with his friends. But she still had trouble comprehending what he had just said. Reaching up gently to tuck his hair behind his ear on his right side, she cupped his cheek. "How could you believe that after all we went through? You knew after the first time you lost your powers that there was nothing any of the bad guys could do to dissolve the friendship you had with all of us. You, Tommy, are what matters to us, not the green or even white ranger now. As much as I love having you by my side on the battle field, it means more to me having you by my side in the hallways at school." A blush immediately crept up on Kim's face after those last words were uttered, causing her to divert her gaze bashfully.

Licking his lips, Tommy felt his heart swell. The hurt she had exhibited made him realize just how strongly Kimberly felt about him. The words she had just spoken only confirmed it. He couldn't, wouldn't do anything to risk losing her again. And he knew that he needed to let her know that. Mentally, Tommy shook off the restraints that threatened to paralyze him.

A smile spread across Tommy's face unknowingly as he tenderly lifted her chin with his finger to meet her gaze. Using both his hands, he gently cupped Kim's face so that their eyes met. He knew he wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. "Kim, I love you."

Kim suddenly felt as if the world had somehow stopped and that everything around her was in slow motion. Blinking slowly, she bit her lower lip gently before barely managing to whisper, "What?"

Tommy threw his head back in laughter as his beautiful struggled to comprehend the words he had just spoken. Pulling her close, it was Tommy who now tucked Kim's hair behind her ears. "I said I love you. I don't want you to live another day not knowing how much you mean to me. I know I cannot undo how I treated you when I left this last time, but I promise I'll make it up to you. And that starts with letting you know that you are my world, Kimberly Anne Heart. I love you."

Kim happily felt tears build up in her eyes and stream down her face as she let the words Tommy had just said sink in. He loved her; he really did. She no longer had to doubt whether the loner who had had become the most significant part of her life really cared for her or not. Nothing else mattered now. "I love you too, you know."

"I do, beautiful," Tommy replied softly, using the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears away from her face. And as Tommy bent down to give Kim one of the soft, gentle kisses that the two had become accustomed to, he also decided to throw caution to the wind.

He pulled Kim flush against his body and kissed her fiercely, wanting to show her physically, as well, just how much she meant to him. His tongue sought access to her mouth and was granted it immediately as Kimberly lost herself in the kiss, and their tongues caressed each other's with a passion that each had denied for too long.

Kim lost the ability to put together any kind of train of thought as soon as Tommy pulled her against him; the world blurred. Her hands worked their way into his hair as he kissed her with the kind of intensity she had only dreamt of. Tommy had never done anything but give her sweet, innocent kisses on the cheek or lip that never lasted more than twenty seconds. This was the type of kiss Kim had yearned for longer than she dared give voice to.

Tommy found himself smiling against her lips as Kim moaned into his mouth, a fire raging through both of them as long-guarded restraints were dropped. Tommy's hands dropped to Kim's behind, cupping the firm cheeks and massaging them as he pressed her even closer to him.

Kim groaned as she felt Tommy pressed up against her down there, and she stood on tiptoe to feel him against her. It wasn't the first time she had felt him, but it was the first time she felt bold enough to press herself against him, something she had ached to do. As she started to wrap her right leg against him, Tommy helped her by hoisting her up. And Kim locked her legs around his waist, slowly beginning to grind herself back and forth on the firm erection that was straining against Tommy's loose pants.

Somehow Tommy managed to walk the two over to the blanket he had laid out on the roof, and he carefully knelt down, laying Kim on it. Not once did the two break from kissing, nor did Kim's legs come undone from around Tommy's waist. And as Tommy laid his weight carefully upon his petite girlfriend, her moans only managed to increase, which was music to his ears.

Hands suddenly started to explore places neither had ever dared explore before. Kim's hips instinctively began to move back and forth against Tommy's erection; her sex literally throbbing from the contact. And now it was Tommy moaning in response.

He undid the straps to Kim's overalls and folded the top of them down against her stomach. As he gently grabbed her left breast and squeezed tenderly, something finally snapped in Kim. Her eyes shot open as she realized that the two were so caught up in everything they were making each other feel that if she didn't do something quickly she was probably going to lose her virginity on the roof.

His eyes were closed, long lashes fluttering against her cheeks. As he gave her breast another gentle squeeze, Kim couldn't help but moan again softly. His tongue was doing wonderful things to hers, stroking it and engaging it in a fiery duel. In fact, it felt so darn good that Kim once again hesitated to break their embrace. But as Tommy's hands slowly began to creep south, she realized that she wasn't quite ready for that…just yet.

Gently, she broke their kiss. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed up softly. "Hey," she whispered softly as she gasped for breath.

No further words needed to be spoken as Tommy took a heavy breath himself and rolled himself over to lie by her side. Tommy had always been nothing but a gentleman, and Kim knew that just a slight push would get her point across.

The two breathed deeply for a few minutes, struggling to get their breathing under control as they took in the stars above them. Kim was smiling blissfully as she savored the tingling feeling that she had all over her body. Wherever Tommy had been pressed up against her felt warm, and she tried to savor that and the tingling as it slowly started to fade away. An earlier moment in their relationship popped into her mind all of a sudden, and giddily she repeated words that he once said to her, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

A smile that probably would have made Kim faint spread across Tommy's face as he turned his head to meet her gaze. He brushed the side of her arm with the back of his fingers and lovingly replied, "Me too."

Kim scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. Hesitantly, Tommy asked, "I hope I didn't go too far…."

Kim quickly shook her head in response. "No, no. Like I said, I've been waiting for you to do that for a long time."

"I've wanted to for a really long time, Kim. Just wasn't sure…"

Kim rolled her eyes at Tommy's admission. Glad that he couldn't see the gesture, she replied, "How could you not be? I've been mooning over you for close to a year."

Tommy rolled onto his side so that Kim could see his eyes. In a tone that truly conveyed his honesty, he answered, "I couldn't believe that the girl of my dreams really felt the same way I did. Moving around constantly as a child and being adopted, I tried to not get too close to other people. I never wanted to become too attached to anything because I was afraid it might disappear."

A smile that literally warmed his heart spread across Kim's face as she reached up to plant a kiss on his nose. Her lips brushed against his as she then whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," Tommy replied as he happily rolled back onto his back and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "Kim, I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Well duh," Kim replied before bursting into giggles.

"Hey," Tommy answered back, poking her in the side before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"You know what that means, right?"

"Yes, Kim. I know what that means."

Goofily, Kim sprung up onto her feet in front of him and did a little dance, pumping her fists in the air. Tommy burst out laughing in response.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into," she said gleefully.

Tommy looked up at her with such love in his eyes that there was no question about where his heart would forever lie. "I do," he answered, managing to catch one of her hands and tug her back down to him. "So how long am I going to have to make things up to you?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Kim's eyes as she snuggled back in next to him on the blanket. "Oh, I figure I can milk this for a good four weeks."

"Four weeks," Tommy exclaimed.

"At least, four weeks," Kim interrupted. "We'll start with a date in the park on Sunday."

"I guess I can do that."

"Oh, you will do that Tommy Oliver," Kim said leaning over him as she looked into his eyes, the light and life that had first dazzled him twinkling stronger than ever in her eyes. "You're mine, now."

Tommy grinned happily in response before whispering back, "And you're mine," planting a gentle kiss on her lips to seal the deal.

"Trini and Billy are going to hate payback," Kim said knowingly, laying her head down on his chest as she looked up at the sky once again. "I wonder where Rita is now…"

Tommy shook his head in response at his girlfriend's comments. Kim was his now, and he never had to worry about losing her again. He was back with his friends on the team. And as far as Tommy Oliver was concerned, all was pretty much alright with the world.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.